Paul McGann

This handsome, stage-trained English actor first made his name in the cult hit "Withnail and I" (1987), Bruce Robinson's wry look at the less "swinging" side of 1960s London. Paul McGann was Peter Mar...
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Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi has revealed he turned down the chance to play the TV Time Lord when he was offered an audition years ago, because he couldn't bear to lose the part. The Scottish star, who has just signed on to return as the 12th Doctor next season, admits he was considered for the role Paul McGann eventually scored in 1996’s TV film flop - as the eighth Doctor.
He says, "I turned down the opportunity. I loved it so much that I didn’t want to have the disappointment of going for something that I would never get."

BBC One
While the rest of us were busy planning out our viewing parties and speculating on Tumblr, classic Doctor Who stars Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, and a few surprise faces were trying to scheme their way into the big special. 5th Doctor (and David Tennant's father-in-law) Davison produced this comedy short, which has enough inside jokes and clever cameos to please modern and classic fans alike.
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The funnyman, who starred alongside Jim Carrey in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai, admits he had no idea his name was in the running at a secret meeting 15 years ago - and he evidently wasn't the man for the job.
The 67-year-old star tells British newspaper The Sun, "It was brought up in a meeting, apparently, but nobody told me until after they decided against it. I would have loved it. I'd have taken it."
The role in the 1996 TV movie eventually went to Withnail And I star Paul McGann.

Title

Cast as Bassanio in a Channel 4 production of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"

Had first "break" as regular on BBC series "The Monocled Mutineer"

Co-starred with brothers Joe, Mark and Stephen in the BBC TV series "The Hanging Gale"

Appeared with brothers Joe, Mark and Stephen in stage production of "Yakety Yak"

Portrayed the father of a young girl who claimed to have made photographs of fairies in the fact-based "Fairytale - A True Story"

Made screen debut as "I" in "Withnail and I"

Played Jack Worthing in British TV production of "The Importance of Being Earnest"

Had title role of "Dr. Who" in TV movie/pilot for Fox Network

Cast as a vampire hunter in "Queen of the Damned"

Appeared as Lt. Bush in "Horatio Hornblower: The Mutiny" and "Horatio Hornblower: Retribution"; aired on A&E in the USA

Had featured role in "Alien3"

Had first professional job as John the Baptist in "Godspell" at the Nottingham Playhouse

Returned to the British stage in a production of Snoo Wilson's play "Sabina"

Cast in first US film, Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun"

Acted in a British TV remake of "Our Mutual Friend"

Starred opposite Rebecca DeMornay in "Dealers"

Early TV work in British series "Give Us a Break"

Summary

This handsome, stage-trained English actor first made his name in the cult hit "Withnail and I" (1987), Bruce Robinson's wry look at the less "swinging" side of 1960s London. Paul McGann was Peter Marwood, the narrator and character who matures as he finally becomes a working actor.

Co-starred in the A&E movie "Catherine the Great" (1995); No longer together

Education

Name

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Notes

"England is funny about success. It's okay while you're making a success of yourself ... but once you're up there, you're there to be shot at. In England, it's almost a national sport, probably because it's a crowded country or something." --Paul McGann in New York's Daily News, May 13, 1996.